Mount St. Joseph University
Cincinnati, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 59.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 44/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Mount St. Joseph University, a Catholic private nonprofit in Cincinnati, posts a Below Benchmark ROI score of 44/100. Sticker tuition is $38,150 per year, heavily discounted to $16,530 net price after aid - a meaningful 57% institutional discount. The drag on the score is the earnings side: average six-year earnings of $36,100, climbing to a median $51,509 at ten years, with a 12.5-year payback period and a high debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.743 (74 cents of debt for each dollar of early earnings). Completion is decent at 56.3%, and the 70.1% repayment rate shows borrowers are generally making progress. The 25% earnings premium over high-school grads is modest. The nursing program (B ROI grade) and accounting program produce solid outcomes, but the broader institutional picture shows a school that has discounted tuition aggressively without yet producing the post-graduation earnings to justify the program-specific debt loads.
How Mount St. Joseph University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score44/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Mount St. Joseph University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $38,150/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $38,150/yr |
| Average net price | $16,530/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $66,120 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,509 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $36,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,827 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $284 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 56.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,129 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $38,150/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $16,530/year, or roughly $66,120 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $11,689/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $21,682/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,827, which works out to about $284 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($36,100) and comes to 0.74, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $11,689 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,602 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $13,817 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $18,092 |
| $110,001+ | $21,682 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay just $11,689 per year net - genuinely affordable, with Pell and institutional aid stacking well. Four-year cost is $46,756. Against $51,509 ten-year earnings, the ROI math works for lower-income families. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $12,602, similarly attractive.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $13,817 to $18,092 per year, putting four-year cost at $55,000-$72,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $21,682 per year, putting four-year cost at $86,728. Still discounted from sticker but not bargain territory. For high-income families, the financial case requires a strong program match (nursing, accounting) or a non-financial rationale around the Mercy mission and small-classroom experience.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at Mount St. Joseph University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $78,664 | B |
| Biology | $59,945 | - |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $63,257 | C |
| Accounting | $69,706 | - |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $49,004 | D |
| Teacher Education | $39,660 | D |
| Political Science and Government | $58,825 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is the standout at 35 graduates earning $68,015 at year one and $78,664 at year four, with $28,000 median debt and a 0.412 debt-to-earnings ratio - a B ROI grade. The Cincinnati hospital system drives strong placement.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business (12 grads) earns $45,150 at year one and $63,257 at year four, with $29,750 median debt and a 0.659 debt-to-earnings ratio - a C ROI grade. The four-year earnings ramp is okay, but the debt load weighs on the math.
Teacher Education
Teacher education (7 grads) earns $39,660 at year one, with $28,343 debt and a 0.715 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. Ohio teacher salaries cap the upside, and the debt-to-earnings ratio is structurally hard for a starting teacher. The Catholic-school placement network is real, but the financial math is tight.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology (8 grads) earns $31,870 at year one and $49,004 at year four, with $27,000 debt and a 0.847 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. Standard kinesiology problem: the field requires graduate work (PT, OT) for meaningful earnings, and stopping at the bachelor's leaves graduates with significant debt and modest pay.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 60.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 70.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 64.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 68.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Mount St. Joseph University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 59.1% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 460-560 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 470-580 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 20-28 |
| Enrollment | 1,129 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,744 |
Mount St. Joseph admits 59.12% of applicants - moderately selective. SAT mid-ranges are 460-560 math and 470-580 reading; ACT composite mid-range is 20-28. The scores correlate with the 56% completion rate - students need solid institutional support to finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount St. Joseph University (this school) | 44 | $16,530 | $51,509 |
| Dominican University New York | 43 | $41,832 | $61,171 |
| Freed-Hardeman University | 41 | $21,574 | $47,485 |
| Geneva College | 38 | $25,890 | $50,004 |
| Allegheny Wesleyan College | 29 | $5,355 | $37,453 |
| Art Academy of Cincinnati | 9 | $34,253 | $34,368 |
Who Thrives Here
Mount St. Joseph enrolls 1,129 students with a 30.3% Pell rate, a moderately middle-class Cincinnati Catholic-school feeder profile. The fit is strongest for students targeting nursing or accounting in the Cincinnati metro, particularly those drawn to the small Catholic-college environment and Mercy-tradition mission.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Mount St. Joseph University scores 44/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $16,530 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,509 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.5 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 70.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $26,827 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $36,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Mount St. Joseph University: Common Questions
Is Mount St. Joseph University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Mount St. Joseph University scores 44/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $16,530 a year after aid against $51,509 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Mount St. Joseph University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $16,530 a year, or roughly $66,120 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Mount St. Joseph University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,509 ten years after enrolling, roughly $9,709 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Mount St. Joseph University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 12.5 years for Mount St. Joseph University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Mount St. Joseph University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,827, against average earnings of $36,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Mount St. Joseph University?
The six-year graduation rate is 56.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.